Offroad driving is driving off roads usable by ordinary cars. Often this means driving along dirt roads damaged by heavy rain, sometimes driving along mere tracks or (rarely) without any road whatsoever.

Offroad can mean many different things. Some "offroad" cars are made for use on primitive roads and roads in bad shape due to neglect, while others are meant for "real" offroad, where the road is obviously bad. Still, no offroad car is capable of going through any terrain, the terrain has to be studied for feasible routes. The ground has to be smooth and hard enough, and not too steep. The limits vary depending on vehicle, and less experienced drivers should keep wide margins.

In addition to offroad cars, also some trucks are built for bad or missing roads, and all-terrain vehicles (quad bikes) can be used in similar and sometimes worse terrain.

Centre differential lock: Must be locked immediately when driving through difficult terrain, because if it not locked and one wheel loses traction, all power will be distributed to this (now free-running) wheel. If the centre differential is locked, then two wheels have to lose ground contact for this to happen, and it must be one wheel from the front and one from the back.

Axle differential locks: Do not lock on tar (excessive tyre wear). May create difficulties on flat terrain where the surface is slippery, but traction almost the same for every wheel (e.g. sand), under-steer. The rear lock always has to be engaged before the front lock!

Rule of thumb: Engage the centre lock immediately when leaving tar, engage axle locks only to get out of difficult situations.

Gravel: Release tyre pressure to about 1.7 bar which will result in just about visible "pockets". Avoid any hard veering and breaking. If an obstacle appears, hold the steering wheel as tight as possible and go off the accelerator, rather than breaking or steering.

Corrugation: On gravel roads sooner or later corrugation will build up. This will result in shaking if you drive more than about 20 km/h. At a higher speed (70 km/h) it will get better, as the car skims from wave to wave, but the car will have very little grip at such speed. Any touch on the breaks and any movement of the steering wheel might give away the control of the car.

Rutting

River: Try to avoid water deeper than the hub of the wheel. Carefully watch other cars driving or (if safe) walk through to see how deep it is before.

If the engine block is hit by the water it will be cooled down very quickly, this might result in cracks. Rather switch off the engine and let it cool down to 70 or 80 degrees Celsius before crossing.

If the water gets into the air intake of the engine, then that's the end of the engine. It will attempt to compress water instead of air, which is not possible, and the engine block will burst. You can fit a snorkel which lifts the air intake to above the passenger compartment. Without a snorkel just turn around or wait for the water to subside.

Even with a cold engine and a snorkel fitted, water of a certain depth (about the height of a wheel) can be dangerous, as the air in the tyres might help lift the front of the car. This will make the car unsteerable and pull it into the river, particularly when the water is flowing.

Sand: Release pressure out of the tyres before hitting a sand track, 0.8 to 1.0 bar, depending on the load of the vehicle. Do not try to steer against resistance, the car will usually search his track. Do not shift gears. Do not brake as this will build up small hills of sand in front of you tyres, making it difficult to start again. If you get stuck do not try to accelerate as this will only dig you more into the sand. Try driving backwards instead. Use high ratio because the additional momentum given by the low transfer gear will cause wheel-spin.

It is highly recommended that you carry a recovery kit when travelling off-road. A simple kit can mean the difference between getting yourself out of a tight spot within an hour or being stuck for days waiting for help to arrive.

A basic recovery kit should contain at least the following:

Gloves - Most injuries occur while trying to extract a stuck vehicle. Gloves are also useful to change hot or damaged tires and to (carefully) open radiator caps.

Tow straps

Tree protector - Do not use your tow straps or winch cable directly around trees, as this might cause damage.

Snatch Block - To double your winching power or allow your vehicle to be pulled even when there is no space for another vehicle in front of it.

D-Ring Shackles - To attach things together.

High lift jack - In most places where you might get stuck, the standard jack will just not be high enough.

Torch

Spade - You cannot dig out your car with a spade, but there are useful tricks where you might need one. For instance, in a sandy area without rocks or trees you can jam the spade underneath the wheel to give it traction. You'll also need a spade for the classic 'desert recovery': to attach the winch cable or a tow strap to your spare wheel and bury the spare wheel in the sand to pull you out against its weight.

Always ensure that the equipment is from a reputable manufacturer and of good quality. When stuck in the mud 100km from the nearest town, a working snatch block is worth a lot more than a broken one with a 12 month no questions asked exchange warranty.

Due to quality concerns it is generally better to build your own recovery kit by purchasing each component individually than to buy a complete all-in-one recovery kit.

cork (larger than your oil drain plug) - situated at the lowest part of the engine the oil drain plug is a prime candidate to be ripped out by boulders in rough terrain. When this occurs the drain plug threads are normally also damaged and you will not be able to fix a replacement plug; cork and epoxy can create a very good temporary seal until you can have the problem professionally seen to.

First check the cooling water level. If it is low, refilling does not help too much, because as you have lost it during the last short period of time (you have checked it before you started your journey, haven't you?) you will probably lose it again very soon. So you have to search the leakage. Check the tubes from and to the radiator, and the radiator itself.

Bigger punctures in the radiator can be repaired with epoxy putty, smaller ones by putting egg white in the radiator. But be sure to clean this as soon as you can. If you have a leakage in the radiator hose put a (used!) chewing gum on it and fix it with some duct tape.

If the cooling water level is ok, but the engine is still running hot, something might prevent the water from being cooled. Check the fan belt, is it loose or broken? Have a look at the radiator, is grass or seeds disturbing the airflow?

A defective radiator cap may allow coolant to slowly evaporate instead of holding it in under pressure. Did you carry a spare?

Another common problem is a defective thermostat. The thermostat is responsible for by-passing the radiator as long as the engine is cold, allowing the engine to reach its optimum operation temperature quickly. But if it is broken, the cooling water will not reach the radiator and the engine heats up too much.
To work around this problem without having a spare thermostat just remove it. Then the water will always flow through the radiator and your problems should be gone. Replace it soon.

Organized tours are becoming quite popular. It ensures that there is at least one experienced driver in the group and that there is always someone to assist in recovery if a vehicle gets stuck. Many people also prefer the social interaction of a larger group rather just one or two vehicles travelling on their own. Some tours may even be fully catered with regular meals provided.